Dagu Project,Scientific Writing Workshop, University of Gondar, July 2017

1. Wri$ng a Policy Brief
Lars Åke Persson MD PhD
lars.persson@lshtm.ac.uk
Dagu Scien$fic Wri$ng Workshop,
Gondar, Ethiopia, July 10-14, 2017

2. What is a policy brief?
• A short document
• Focuses on a single topic
• Not more than 2-4 pages
• Presents the findings and
recommenda$ons of a research
project
• Aimed for a non-specialized
audience
• Dis$ls lessons learned from the
research
• A stand alone document
• Provides policy advice
• WriQen in common language,
journalis$c style rather than
scien$fic
hQps://www.idrc.ca/sites/default/files/idrcpolicybrieVoolkit.pdf

3. Wri2ng a policy brief:
Who are your readers?
• For whom am I wri$ng this
brief?
• How knowledgeable are
they about this topic?
• How open are they to the
message?

4. Wri2ng a policy brief:
A template
• Summary
– The essence
– Provides an overview
– Catches the aQen$on
– On top of first page or cover
– Completed last
• Introduc$on
• Approach and Results
• Conclusion
• Implica$ons and
Recommenda$ons

5. Wri2ng a policy brief:
A template
• Summary
– The essence
– Provides an overview
– Catches the aQen$on
– On top of first page or cover
– Completed last
• Introduc$on
• Approach and Results
• Conclusion
• Implica$ons and
Recommenda$ons
Example (Elephants and Electric Fences. Sri Lanka EEPSEA 2005):
Elephants are one of the big five wildlife species;
their survival is one of the holy grails of
conserva$on. Unfortunately, because of their
size and migratory behaviour, elephants oVen
come in contact with people. This is especially
true in densely populated southeast Asia. A new
study from Sri Lanka looks at one strategy to
address this problem – electric fences.

6. Wri2ng a policy brief:
A template
• Summary
• Introduc$on
– Answers “Why?”
– Explains the significance
– Describes research objec$ve
– Overview of findings,
conclusions
– Creates curiosity
• Approach and Results
• Conclusion
• Implica$ons and
Recommenda$ons

7. Wri2ng a policy brief:
A template
• Summary
• Introduc$on
• Approach and Results
– Summary of facts
– Issue and context
– Describes research and
analysis
– Not too technical!
– Highlights benefits,
opportuni$es
• Conclusion
• Implica$ons and
Recommenda$ons

8. Wri2ng a policy brief:
A template
• Summary
• Introduc$on
• Approach and Results
• Conclusion
– Interpret results
– Concrete conclusions
– Balanced and defensible
– If unexpected results;
explain why
• Implica$ons and
Recommenda$ons

9. Wri2ng a policy brief:
A template
• Summary
• Introduc$on
• Approach and Results
• Conclusion
• Implica$ons and
Recommenda$ons
– Implica$ons: what could
happen?
– Recommenda$ons: what
should happen (call to ac$on!)
– Both flow from conclusions
– Supported by evidence

10. Wri2ng a policy brief:
A template
• Summary
• Introduc$on
• Approach and Results
• Conclusion
• Implica$ons and
Recommenda$ons
– Implica$ons: what could
happen?
– Recommenda$ons: what
should happen (call to ac$on!)
– Both flow from conclusions
– Supported by evidence
Title: add a liQle jazz!
Sub$tles break up text
Should aQract aQen$on
Dynamic!
Callouts! Boxes!
Graphs oVen beQer than tables

11. Your policy brief during
the Wri2ng Workshop • Limit to ONE page, with the
following components:
• Summary
• Introduc$on
• Approach and Results
• Conclusion
• Implica$ons and
Recommenda$ons